Method and system for call, facsimile and electronic message forwarding

ABSTRACT

A method and system are provided for forwarding telephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronic messages to a single forwarding telephone number. The telephone calls, fax transmissions and electronic messages are first forwarded to a central forwarding repository by the forwarding party where the fax transmissions, and messages are converted to audio formats. Forwarded telephone calls and audio formatted versions of the fax transmissions and electronic messages are then forwarded directly to a designated forwarding number. If the forwarding party answers at the forwarding number, she will receive forwarded calls, and the audio formatted versions of fax transmissions and electronic messages will be played to her over her telephone. If the forwarding party does not answer the forwarded call, she subsequently may retrieve saved telephone calls, saved telephone messages and saved audio versions of fax transmissions and electronic messages from the central forwarding repository.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/465,412,filed Aug. 21, 2014, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.13/091,390 filed Apr. 21, 2011, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,861,690 onOct. 14, 2014, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.12/291,791 filed Nov. 13, 2008, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,953,212 onMay 31, 2011, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/295,002filed Dec. 6, 2005, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,466,804 on Dec. 16,2008, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/022,941 filedDec. 17, 2001, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,046,772 on May 16, 2006,the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a system and method for forwarding telephonecalls, facsimile transmissions, and electronic messages to a selectedforwarding number and for allowing receipt and retrieval of telephonecalls and messages, facsimile transmissions and electronic messages inan audio format.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the rapid growth of telecommunications in recent years, it iscommon for a person to receive a communication in many forms includingvoice, electronic messages, and facsimile. Indeed, at a business, schoolor home a person often receives telephone calls, electronic messages andfacsimile transmissions from a variety of sources throughout a givenday. These different forms of communication may be independent of eachother, or they may be connected and complimentary of each other.

When a person leaves her home or office, she often wants to forward hercalls to a designated number where she may be reached while she is away.Systems are known for forwarding telephone calls to a designated number.However, with respect to electronic messages, a person must typicallylog onto some type of distributed computing network, such as anInternet-based system, to check and retrieve electronic messagesreceived while the person is away from her office or home. In the caseof instant messaging to a wireless personal digital assistant, a personmay know that they will be located in an area in which their personaldigital assistant has no service. Accordingly, the person must waituntil she returns to a service area to receive messages sent to herwhile she is in the out-of-service area.

With respect to facsimile transmissions received during the absence ofthe recipient, facsimile transmissions typically print at therecipient's home or office facsimile machine and await her return. Therecipient may either forward the facsimile transmissions to a designatedremote facsimile number, or the recipient may have someone re-fax thedocument to her at the designated remote number.

There is a need in the art for a method and system for forwardingtelephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronic messages to asingle repository from which those calls, messages and transmissions maylater be retrieved.

There is also a need in the art for a method and system for convertingelectronic mail and facsimile transmissions into an audio format thatmay be forwarded along with forwarded telephone voice calls to a singleforwarding number for receipt by a called party.

It is with respect to these considerations and others that the presentinvention has been made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, the above and other problemsare solved by a method and system for forwarding telephone calls,facsimile transmissions and electronic messages to a single forwardingtelephone number. The calls, fax transmissions and electronic messagesare first forwarded to a central repository by the forwarding partywhere the fax transmissions, and electronic messages are converted toaudio formats. Forwarded telephone calls and audio formatted versions ofthe fax transmissions and electronic messages are then forwardeddirectly to a designated forwarding number. If the forwarding partyanswers at the forwarding number, she will receive forwarded calls, andaudio formatted versions of fax transmissions and electronic messageswill be played to her over her telephone. If the forwarding party doesnot answer forwarded calls, she subsequently may retrieve savedtelephone calls and saved audio versions of fax transmissions andelectronic messages from the central forwarding repository. Theforwarding party may retrieve saved messages as a retrieving party fromthe central forwarding repository after entry of a personalidentification number to authenticate the forwarding (retrieving)party's permission to retrieve saved calls and messages.

These and other features and advantages, which characterize the presentinvention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detaileddescription and a review of the associated drawings. It is to beunderstood that both the foregoing general description and the followingdetailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are notrestrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating components of a telephone networkthat provides an exemplary operating environment for the presentinvention.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate an operational flow of the steps performed by asystem and method of the present invention for forwarding telephonecalls, facsimile transmissions and electronic messages to a centralrepository or single forwarding number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention is made with reference to the above-described drawings whereinlike numerals refer to like parts or components throughout the severalfigures. The present invention is directed toward a method and systemfor forwarding telephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronicmessages to a central repository from which those calls, transmissions,and messages may be retrieved in audio format. According to analternative embodiment, electronic messages and facsimile transmissionsmay be converted from text to speech, and audio formatted versions ofthose messages and transmissions may be forwarded along with forwardedtelephone calls directly to a designated forwarding number.

According to the present invention, prior to leaving a home, office orother location, a called party forwards all telephone calls, facsimiletransmissions, and electronic messages to a single forwarding telephonenumber at which she may receive forwarded telephone calls andtext-to-speech audio versions of facsimile transmissions and electronicmessages. A telephone call directed to the called party is forwardeddirectly to the forwarding number according to conventional callforwarding methods.

However, for the present invention, the forwarded telephone call is alsosaved in a central forwarding repository from which the called party maylater retrieve voice mail if the called party does not answer the callat the forwarding number. Additionally, caller identification (callerID) information is forwarded along with the forwarded telephone call tothe forwarding number. If the called party does not receive theforwarded call and must retrieve the call from the central forwardingrepository, caller identification information on the call is used toidentify the saved call prior to retrieving the saved voice message.

Facsimile transmissions that are forwarded to the forwarding number arealso saved in a central forwarding repository for subsequent retrievalby the called party. Prior to saving the facsimile transmission at thecentral forwarding repository, the header for the facsimile transmissionidentifying the source of the facsimile transmission is converted fromtext to speech, and the audio version of the facsimile transmissionheader is saved at the central forwarding repository. The audio versionof the facsimile transmission header is then forwarded directly to thecall forwarding number as directed by the called party. If the calledparty answers, she will hear the audio version of the facsimile headeror transmission followed by a set of options for dealing with thefacsimile transmission. For example, the called party may listen to theheader only, or the called party may direct the facsimile transmissionto be forwarded to a facsimile machine located nearby.

With respect to electronic messages, such as e-mail and wireless instantmessaging, prior to leaving her home or office, the called partyforwards electronic messages to the same forwarding number as sheforwarded telephone calls and facsimile transmissions. When the calledparty receives an electronic message, the electronic message isforwarded to the central forwarding repository where the message headerand text is converted from text to speech into an audio format. Theaudio formatted electronic message is saved in the central forwardingrepository for subsequent retrieval by the called party, and then theaudio version of the electronic message is forwarded directly to theforwarding number designated by the called party. If the called partyanswers the telephone at the forwarding number, the called partyreceives an audio version of the electronic message.

If the called party does not answer the telephone at the forwardingnumber, telephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronic messagesare saved in the central forwarding repository, and the called party mayretrieve saved messages at any time by dialing into the centralforwarding repository. In order to gain access to saved messages, thecalled party enters a personal identification number (PIN), and thecalled party is then given a number of options for listening to orprocessing saved audio versions of telephone calls, facsimiletransmissions, and electronic messages saved at the central forwardingrepository. For example, the called party may direct that a savedfacsimile transmission be forwarded to a facsimile machine at the calledparty's forwarding location so that the called party may receive aprinted version of the facsimile transmission.

For calls, transmissions or messages processed in accordance with thepresent invention, a call log is maintained at the central forwardingrepository preferably including such information as date, time, lengthand identification, if available, of the call, transmission or message.The call log may be reviewed by the called party by dialing into thecentral forwarding repository and entering the PIN. Preferably, the calllog includes information for all calls, transmissions or messagesregardless of whether a message was left for the called party.

Exemplary Operating Environment

It is advantageous to describe an exemplary operating environment inwhich the current invention may reside. FIG. 1 is a block diagramillustrating components of a telephone network that provides anexemplary operating environment for the present invention. The publicswitched telephone network that evolved in the 1980s incorporated theadvanced intelligent network (AIN). Some of the components of theadvanced intelligent network are illustrated in FIG. 1. The advancedintelligent network (AIN) uses the signaling system 7 (SS7) network forsignal or system control message transport. The components thereof arewell-known to those skilled in the art. The operation of many of thecomponents of the advanced intelligent network is also described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,430,719 to Weisser entitled “Mediation of Open AdvancedIntelligent Network Interface by Shared Execution Environment” which isincorporated herein by reference. The SS7 communications protocol isprovided in the document entitled “Bell Communications ResearchSpecification of Signaling System 7,” Document TR-NWT-000246, Issue 2(June 1991), plus Revision 1 (December 1991), which is also incorporatedherein by reference.

A plurality of central offices are provided in a typical public switchedtelephone network. As shown in FIG. 1, each central office may includean electronic switch known to those skilled in the art as a serviceswitching point (SSP). These are indicated in FIG. 1 as SSP switches 12,14 and 16. The terms “SSP” and “switch” are used interchangeablyhereinafter and are understood to refer to a telecommunications switchhaving AIN capability and which may be utilized for connecting voicechannel circuits, including voice channel lines, such as trunk circuits30 and 32.

As shown in FIG. 1, central offices switches (SSP) 12, 14 and 16 have aplurality of subscriber lines 18, 18 a, 18 b and 20 connected thereto.Each of the subscriber lines 18 and 20 is connected to a terminatingpiece or pieces of customer 15 premises equipment that are representedby telephones 21, 24 and 28. SSP switches 12, 14 and 16 are connected bya plurality of trunk circuits 30. These are the voice path trunks thatinterconnect the central offices 12, 14 and 16 and over which calls areconnected when completed. A computer 23 and a facsimile machine 25 areshown as connected to the switch 12 via lines 18 a and 18 b.

Each piece of terminating equipment in the PSTN is preferably assigned adirectory number. The term “directory number” is used herein in a mannerconsistent with its generally understood meaning of a number that isdialed or input by an originating party at an originating station toreach a terminating station associated with the directory number.

Much of the intelligence, and the basis for many of the enhancedfeatures of the network, resides in the local AIN service control point(SCP) 42 that is connected to signal transfer point 34 via SS7 data link44. As is known to those skilled in the art, AIN service control points,such as SCP 42, are physically implemented by relatively powerful faulttolerant computers. Among the functions performed by the service controlpoints is maintenance of network databases used in providing enhancedservices.

Additional devices for implementing advanced network functions withinthe AIN 10 are provided by regional STPs (not shown), regional SCPs (notshown), and a service management system (SMS) 46. The STP 34 isconnected to the SSPs via connections 36, 38 and 40. Both the regionalSCPs and the local SCP 42, which represent a plurality of local SCPsdistributed throughout the AIN 10, are connected via respective datalinks to the SMS 46. The SMS 46 provides a centralized platform forremotely programming the various SCPs of the AIN 10 so that acoordinated information processing scheme may be implemented for the AIN10. The SMS 46 is implemented by a large general purpose computer andinterfaces to business offices of the local exchange carrier andinterexchange carriers. SSPs download, on a non-real time basis, billinginformation to a billing system 50 that is needed in order toappropriately invoice subscribers for the services provided.

The SCP 42 is also connected to a caller name (CNAM) database 48. TheCNAM database comprises a plurality of directory numbers along withassociated names for the directory numbers. The CNAM database may beused to provide a look-up database to provide caller ID service. TheCNAM database may be comprised of directory numbers from wirelinecustomers as well as wireless customers of wireless network 150.

The modem Advanced Intelligent Network 100 also includes service nodes(SN) such as service node 55 shown in FIG. 1. Those skilled in the artare familiar with service nodes, which are physically implemented by thesame types of computers that embody the SCP 42. In addition to thecomputing capability and data base maintenance features, service nodes55 use ISDN lines and may include DTMF signal recognition devices, tonegeneration devices, text to speech (TTS) voice synthesis devices andother voice or data resources. As shown in FIG. 1, the connection isthrough the SSP. For example SCN 55 is connected to SCP 42 via ISDNlinks 54 to SSP 12, ISDN/SS7 protocol conversion in SSP 12, and SS7links 36 and 44. It is understood that the service node 55 may also beconnected to a service management system, but such connection is notshown in FIG. 1. While service nodes 55 are physically quite similar tothe SCP 42, there are some important differences in the uses to whichthey are put.

The central forwarding repository 50 (CFR) is a hardware and softwareplatform for receiving, storing and processing forwarded telephonecalls, facsimile transmissions and electronic messages in accordancewith the present invention. The CFR 50 includes a multi-purpose computersystem capable of communication with other computer systems in adistributed computer system such as computer systems resident in othernetwork components such as the SCP 42 and the SN 55. Indeed, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention, the functionality and memorystorage capacity of the CFR 50 may be resident at another networkcomponent such as the SCP 42 or the SN 55.

For electronic message processing according to the present invention,the CFR 50 is equipped with a gateway for receiving forwarded electronicmessages, including electronic mail and instant messaging. As is wellknown to those skilled in the art, the electronic messages may beforwarded to the CFR 50 via a wireline and wireless Internet-based orintranet-based system. In order to forward electronic mail from thecalled party's home or office computer system to the CFR 50, the calledparty forwards all incoming electronic mail to an electronic mailaddress of the CFR 50 along with instructions to forward electronicmessages to a designated forwarding telephone directory number. Asshould be understood by those skilled in the art, the called party mayforward messages receivable at her computer 23 or at a number ofwireless personal digital assistant devices.

The CFR 50 includes software for converting electronic messagesforwarded from the called party to an audio format for forwarding to thedesignated forwarding telephone directory number. According to anexemplary embodiment, the CFR 50 includes a message transfer system,such as an application program interface for converting the e-mail textto a digital audio file. Exemplary and well-known digital audio filesinclude WAV files and MP3 files. Once forwarded electronic messages areconverted to digital audio files, the audio versions of the electronicmail are forwarded directly to the designated forwarding number forreceipt by the called (forwarding) party. If the called party answers atthe forwarding number, the “From” portion of the electronic mail headeris played first to identify the source of the electronic messagefollowed by the audio version of the body of the electronic message. Ifthe called party does not answer the forwarded telephone call, the audioversion of the electronic message is saved at the CFR 50. Subsequently,the called party may call into the CFR 50, and after entering a personalidentification number (PIN), the called party may retrieve the audioversion of the electronic message.

The CFR 50 is also equipped for receiving forwarded facsimiletransmissions. According to an exemplary embodiment, the CFR 50 includesa fax server that is a computer capable of sending and receivingfacsimile transmissions to and from other computers in a network. A faxmodem is included for receiving fax transmission and decoding thosetransmissions into image form. According to the present invention, asoftware program, such as an application program interface, is includedfor receiving image output from the fax modem and converting the imageoutput to text format that may be converted to a digital audio file, asdescribed for electronic messages. The digital audio version of the faxtransmission may then be forwarded directly to the called party at thedesignated forwarding number, or the digital audio version may be savedat the CFR 50 for subsequent retrieval by the called party. Preferably,the header for a given facsimile transmission is converted to audioformat, while the body of the facsimile transmission is maintained indata format. As should be understood, the header of the facsimiletransmission may include an address and/or telephone and facsimilenumbers of the source and intended recipient, date, number of pages,etc., while the body portion of the facsimile transmission may includethe text or images being directed to the recipient. Accordingly, onlythe audio version of the header information is forwarded to the calledparty. Once the called party receives the audio version of the facsimiletransmission header, the called party may be given the option offorwarding the facsimile transmission to a facsimile machine locatednear the called party.

The CFR 50 is also equipped for maintaining a call log for all calls,transmissions or messages processed in accordance with the presentinvention. The call log preferably includes such information as date,time, length and identification, if available, of the call, transmissionor message. The call log may be reviewed by the called party by dialinginto the central forwarding repository and entering a personalidentification number (PIN). Preferably, the call log includesinformation for all calls, transmissions or messages regardless ofwhether a message was left for the called party.

Operation of an Exemplary Embodiment

Having described an exemplary environment of the present invention withreference to FIG. 1, FIGS. 2-4 illustrate an operational flow of thesteps performed by a system and method of the present invention forforwarding telephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronicmessages to a central repository or single forwarding number. A method200 is described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and for purposes ofthe exemplary call flow, assume that a called party forwards allincoming telephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronicmessages to a designated forwarding number.

The method 200 begins at step 205 and proceeds to step 208 where thecalled party initiates the call forwarding services of the presentinvention. At step 208, the called party forwards all incoming telephonecalls, facsimile transmissions and electronic messages, including e-mailto her computer 23 and messages to her personal digital assistant,through the central forwarding repository 50 to a designated forwardingtelephone directory number. It should be understood that the calledparty may forward all telephone calls, facsimile transmissions orelectronic messages according to the present invention, or the user mayonly forward one of the three types of communication or any combinationthereof. According to one embodiment of the present invention, thecalled party may initiate the services of the present invention bydialing a number of the central forwarding repository 50 and followinginstructions. Exemplary instructions may include providing the centralforwarding repository 50 with the forwarding number so that all callsforwarded to that number are processed through the central forwardingrepository 50 in accordance with the present invention as opposed toconventional call forwarding. Facsimile transmissions are likewiseforwarded to the designated forwarding number via the central forwardingrepository 50.

For electronic messages, the called party forwards all incomingelectronic messages to an electronic mail address of the centralforwarding repository 50. Preferably, the called party, as a subscriberto the forwarding service of the present invention, is provided with anelectronic dialog box for entry of forwarding instructions including thedesignated forwarding directory number. The forwarding information isthen transmitted to the central forwarding repository 50 by the calledparty.

At step 210, a first communication is received by the called party, anda determination is made whether the first communication is a telephonecall. If yes, the method proceeds to step 212 and a determination ismade as to whether telephone calls have been forwarded to a designatedforwarding number. If not, the method proceeds to step 214 and thetelephone call is directed to the called party's local voice mailservice, or the telephone call is answered by a person located near thecalled party's telephone. The method ends at step 290.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the determination of whether thetelephone calls have been forwarded in accordance with the presentinvention includes a query from the calling party switch 12 to the SCP42 to determine whether calls directed to the called party's telephonedirectory number have been designated for forwarding in accordance withthe present invention. If at step 212 the called party has forwarded alltelephone calls to the designated call forwarding number, the methodproceeds to step 216 and the SCP 42 routes the telephone call to the CFR50 for processing.

At step 216, the central forwarding repository 50 captures calleridentification information from the CNAM 48, if it is available for thetelephone call placed to the called party. At step 218, the calleridentification information and the telephone call are then forwarded tothe designated forwarding number, for example, at telephone 24 viaswitch 14. The central forwarding repository 50 maintains control of thecall and caller identification information during the forwardingprocess. At step 220, a determination is made as to whether the calledparty answers the telephone call at the forwarding number. If yes, themethod proceeds to step 222 and the telephone call is put through to thecalled party along with the caller identification information. Themethod then ends at step 290.

If at step 220 the called party does not answer the telephone call atthe forwarding number, the method proceeds to step 228 and adetermination is made as to whether the called party has a voice mailservice at the designated forwarding number. If yes, the method proceedsto step 229 and the forwarded call is saved at the local voice mailsystem associated with the forwarding number. Whether the call is savedat a local voice mail service for the forwarding number or not, themethod proceeds to step 230 and the voice mail message left to thecalled party along with the caller identification information of thecalling party are saved at the CFR 50. That is, if the called party doesnot answer the forwarded call any voice mail message for the calledparty will be saved at the CFR 50 in addition to a local voice mailsystem at the forwarding number.

At step 232, the called party calls the CFR 50 to obtain forwardedmessages. If the forwarding number is associated with a local voice mailsystem as may be available at a hotel, visitor's office, and the like,the called party may check messages left at the forwarding number atstep 229. However, if no voice mail system is associated with theforwarding number the called party calls into the CFR 50 to retrievesaved forwarded calls and messages.

At step 234, a network component such as the service node 55 plays aseries of options to the called party for retrieving saved calls andmessages. Before the messages are retrieved, the service node 55requests the called party to enter a personal identification number(PIN) for access to messages saved at the central forwarding repository50. The service node 55 obtains the PIN number from the called party andcompares the PIN number with a database of PIN numbers to validate thecalled party's access. If the called party's PIN number is verified, themethod proceeds to step 236 and saved telephone calls are played to thecalled party in the order in which they were received. Preferably,caller identification information is played to the called partyimmediately in advance of the saved telephone call. If desired, thecalled party may review only the call log maintained at the CFR 50 toget a quick summary of calls, transmissions and messages received and/orsaved. At step 238, a number of call forwarding and voice mail optionsmay be provided to the called party. For example, the called party mayplay each saved message in the order in which it was received, thecalled party may skip undesirable messages, the called party may savemessages, the called party may forward the saved messages to yet adifferent telephone directory number, or the called party may deletesaved calls, messages and call log information. The method ends at step290.

Returning back to step 210, if the incoming communication to the calledparty is not a telephone call, the method proceeds to step 240 and adetermination is made as to whether the incoming communication is anelectronic message. If yes, the method proceeds to step 242 and adetermination is made as to whether electronic messages directed to thecalled party have been forwarded to the central forwarding repository.If not, the method proceeds to step 244 and the incoming electronicmessage is saved at the called party's computer or personal digitalassistant. If the called party has forwarded incoming electronicmessages to the designated forwarding number, the method proceeds tostep 246, and the incoming electronic message is forwarded to thecentral forwarding repository at the electronic mail address for the CFR50.

At step 248, the “From” address for the e-mail message and the body ofthe electronic message are sent to the translation application programinterface at the CFR 50 for translation into a digital audio file. The“From” address and body of the text are translated into a digital audiofile such as a WAV or MP3 file, as described above. At step 250, thedigital audio files are saved at the CFR 50 for subsequent retrieval bythe called party. At step 252, the audio versions of the “From” addressand electronic message body are forwarded to the designated forwardingnumber just as an incoming telephone call is forwarded to the forwardingnumber, as described above. That is, the designated forwarding number iscalled, and if the called party answers, the digital audio version ofthe electronic message and header will be played to the called party. Ifthe called party does not answer at the forwarding number, the audiofiles of the electronic message and header are saved at the CFR 50 forsubsequent retrieval by the called party as described above for savedtelephone calls.

Referring back to step 240, if a determination is made that the incomingcommunication to the called party is not a telephone call or electronicmessage, the method proceeds to step 254 for processing of forwardedfacsimile transmissions. At step 256, a determination is made as towhether the facsimile transmissions have been forwarded by the calledparty. If no, the incoming facsimile transmission is sent to the calledparty's facsimile machine, and the method proceeds to step 290. Ifhowever, the incoming facsimile transmissions have been forwarded to thedesignated forwarding number in accordance with the present invention,the method proceeds to step 260, and the incoming facsimile transmissionis forwarded to the central forwarding repository 50.

At step 262, the CFR 50 detects that the incoming transmission is afacsimile transmission, and at step 264, the incoming transmission isdirected through a fax modem for conversion of the fax transmissionheader into a digital audio format that may be forwarded to thedesignated forwarding number. As described above, the data received bythe fax modem of the CFR 50 is passed through an application programinterface for translating the facsimile image into readable text thatmay be converted from text to speech into a digital audio file. Asshould be understood, the entire facsimile transmission may be convertedto an audio file for presentation to the called party at the forwardingnumber. Preferably, however, the facsimile transmission header isconverted to a digital audio file and the body of the facsimiletransmission is left in image format for subsequent retrieval by thecalled party.

At step 266, the audio formatted header and the facsimile body data aresaved at the CFR 50. At step 268, caller identification information forthe source of the facsimile transmission and the audio formatted headerare forwarded to the designated forwarding number. As described abovefor forwarded telephone calls and audio formatted electronic messages,the called party may answer the forwarded telephone call at which pointthe called party will receive the caller identification information forthe facsimile transmission and the audio version of the facsimileheader. If the entire facsimile transmission is translated to an audiofile, then the entire facsimile transmission may be played to the calledparty at step 226. If the called party does not answer the forwardedcall, the facsimile transmission is retained at the CFR 50 forsubsequent retrieval by the called party. The called party preferably isprovided a number of options for handling the saved facsimiletransmission. In addition to hearing the audio version of the header orfacsimile transmission, the called party preferably is given the optionto forward the facsimile transmission to a facsimile machine locatednear the called party so that the called party may print the facsimiletransmission for review.

As described, a method and system are provided for allowing a calledparty to forward telephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronicmessages to a designated call forwarding number. Advantageously,forwarded calls, transmissions and messages are retained at a centralforwarding repository for subsequent retrieval by a called party if thecalled party does not answer calls forwarded to the designatedforwarding number. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications or variations may be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Otherembodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein.

We claim:
 1. A method comprising: receiving an electronic messagedirected to a subscriber address; designating a forwarding address forthe electronic message; routing the electronic message to a centralforwarding repository; converting a portion of the electronic message toan audio formatted transmission; transmitting the audio formattedtransmission to a service node for storage; receiving a request for theelectronic message; retrieving the audio formatted transmission;authenticating the request for the electronic message; and routing theaudio formatted transmission to the forwarding address.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the routing the audio formatted transmission to theforwarding address is in response to authentication of the request forthe electronic message.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving a forwarding telephone directory number designated by theservice node.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of theelectronic message comprises a message header of the electronic message.5. The method of claim 4, wherein the portion of the electronic messagefurther comprises a body of the electronic message.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the electronic message is a facsimile transmission. 7.An apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory to store computerprogram instructions, the computer program instructions when executed onthe processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:receiving an electronic message directed to a subscriber address;designating a forwarding address for the electronic message; routing theelectronic message to a central forwarding repository; converting aportion of the electronic message to an audio formatted transmission;transmitting the audio formatted transmission to a service node forstorage; receiving a request for the electronic message; retrieving theaudio formatted transmission; authenticating the request for theelectronic message; and routing the audio formatted transmission to theforwarding address.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the routing theaudio formatted transmission to the forwarding address is in response toauthentication of the request for the electronic message.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 7, the operations further comprising: receiving aforwarding telephone directory number designated by the service node.10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the portion of the electronicmessage comprises a message header of the electronic message.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the portion of the electronic messagefurther comprises a body of the electronic message.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the electronic message is a facsimile transmission. 13.A computer readable storage device storing computer programinstructions, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processorto perform operations comprising: receiving an electronic messagedirected to a subscriber address; designating a forwarding address forthe electronic message; routing the electronic message to a centralforwarding repository; converting a portion of the electronic message toan audio formatted transmission; transmitting the audio formattedtransmission to a service node for storage; receiving a request for theelectronic message; retrieving the audio formatted transmission;authenticating the request for the electronic message; and routing theaudio formatted transmission to the forwarding address.
 14. The computerreadable storage device of claim 13, wherein the routing the audioformatted transmission to the forwarding address is in response toauthentication of the request for the electronic message.
 15. Thecomputer readable storage device of claim 13, further comprising:receiving a forwarding telephone directory number designated by theservice node.
 16. The computer readable storage device of claim 13,wherein the portion of the electronic message comprises a message headerof the electronic message.
 17. The computer readable storage device ofclaim 16, wherein the portion of the electronic message furthercomprises a body of the electronic message.